Stages of Improving the Apple Tree Assortment in Russia

The article shows the history of the creation and improvement of apple assortment in Russia. The article also provides a brief biographical information of famous domestic apple breeders born before 1910. The breeding achievements of modern institutions in Central Russia and the North Caucasus are shown. The results of apple breeding over the past 70 years at VNIISPK are summarized. A brief economic and biological characteristic of apple cultivars of different origin is given: cultivars from repeated and geographically remote crosses – 18 cultivars; columnar cultivars – 5; scab immune cultivars – 9; triploids – 12; triploids having immunity to scab – 7. The tolerance for the introduction of apple cultivars in a number of regions is shown. Apple cultivars of VNIISPK breeding approved for cultivation in 4 regions of Russia: Veniaminovskoye, Veteran, Orlik, Orlovskoye Polosatoye, Rozhdestvenskoye and Sinap Orlovsky. The cultivars Candil Orlovsky, Kulikovskoye and Orlovskoye Polosatoye are approved for cultivation in three regions; while the cultivars Afrodita, Bolotovskoye, Imrus, Kurnakovskoye, Morozovskoye, Orlovskoye Polesye, Svezhest, Solnyshko, Stroevskoye and Yablochny Spas are approved for cultivation in two regions. The remaining apple cultivars can still be cultivated only in one region of Russia.